Going online — from checking direct messages to scrolling through your newsfeed to reading online news — has become part and parcel of day-to-day life. Consequently, this translates to huge amounts of digital footprints for anyone who decides to perform activities online. For students, this can only mean that anything they post on social media and other platforms may have some sort of bearing on college admissions or job applications.
To help you learn more about this topic, this guide outlines what digital footprints are, their basic types, and their uses. This will also discuss how to see your digital footprint and digital footprint safety tips so you can establish the best possible version of yourself online.
What are Digital Footprints?
Digital footprints are trails of data that people leave behind as they use the Internet.
These footprints include all the digital interactions and information associated with a person across various online platforms and services, including social media, online purchases, web browsing history, app usage, and location data.
Increasingly, digital footprints also go beyond what you do as a user of services—you may be leaving digital footprints just by walking down the street.
What are the Costs and Benefits of Digital Footprints?
By saving your personal details, digital footprints can make your browsing experience more convenient. For example, you may not have to sign into Facebook every time you visit or resubmit your payment information every time you shop on Amazon.
Digital footprints in the form of cookies—pieces of data that websites store in your computer when you visit so they remember your preferences—make the Internet more usable. They can also help make individual transactions more secure.
One of the main costs of digital footprints is a loss of privacy and anonymity online. As you use the Internet, information about who you are, which websites you use, what you search for, and more can be shared with people and companies you don’t know.
With thousands of digital footprints, it becomes more possible to ascribe “anonymous” actions to real-world identities, which introduces a real risk of online activities having consequences offline.
How is my Digital Footprint Used?
Companies use your digital footprint—usually for commercial purposes—to track you, customize your experience on their platforms, and market to you. Essentially, your digital footprint is a monetizable asset, but any direct gain does not usually come to you, the individual.
Because so much of the content and services on the Internet are funded by marketing in some form, publishers and marketers can use your digital footprints and the information they reveal to target their products to the most appropriate audience.
How does your digital footprint impact your mental health?
Managing your digital footprint can have significant effects on your mental health, particularly for students who frequently engage online. Understanding how your online presence and activity may affect your emotional and psychological well-being is important for maintaining a balanced digital life.
Social comparison: Constant exposure to others’ curated lives on social media can lead to negative social comparison. Students might feel pressure to present a “perfect” version of themselves online, which can contribute to anxiety, stress, and feelings of inadequacy.
Cyberbullying risks: An unchecked digital footprint can expose students to cyberbullying. Negative or embarrassing content shared online, whether by others or themselves, can leave students vulnerable to harassment, which can have long-term emotional consequences.
Online disinhibition: The anonymity of the internet sometimes leads people to behave in ways they wouldn’t in person, such as oversharing or being overly critical. This lack of restraint can result in regretful posts or interactions that damage one’s mental well-being.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): A persistent digital presence can contribute to FOMO, where students feel anxious about missing out on experiences or social events that others post online. This can lead to increased stress and feelings of exclusion.
Privacy concerns: Being constantly worried about what personal information is available online can lead to heightened levels of stress. Students may feel a lack of control over their privacy, which can exacerbate anxiety and distrust of online interactions.
Being Mindful of Your Online Activities
In today’s modern world, information about anyone is a mere click away. If you are thinking about college education and getting a well-paying job, what you do or share online can impact your future opportunities. For this reason, it is important for you to take control of your online presence early on. Learning how to find your digital footprint is the starting point. You must also realize that almost everything you do online can leave a digital footprint.
There are many tips for you to manage your digital footprints. Look up the search results for your name. Then review the content you generate from social media posts to blog posts and even forum comments. Delete questionable content yourself or ask the publisher or website owner to take it down for you. It’s also good to practice healthy cybersecurity habits like creating strong passwords and using privacy tools. In extreme cases, you can delete all traces of your digital footprint by deleting information about you from data brokers, as well as deleting your email and social media accounts.
Key Insights
Importance of Digital Footprints: Digital footprints are the trails of data you leave online, which can influence college admissions and job applications.
Active vs. Passive Footprints: Active footprints result from deliberate actions like posting on social media, while passive footprints are created without user intent, such as through cookies and geolocation.
Cybervetting in Admissions: Cybervetting is common among college admissions officers, and inappropriate online content can result in revoked admission offers.
Data Tracking Entities: Advertisers, employers, admissions officers, and cybercriminals track digital footprints for various purposes, from targeted advertising to identity theft.
Managing Online Presence: It is crucial to manage and protect your digital footprint by using privacy settings, keeping profiles professional, and avoiding oversharing.
Security Practices: Employing strong passwords, using privacy tools like VPNs, and regularly updating software are essential for safeguarding online information.
Extreme Measures: In cases of significant data breaches, consider opting out of data broker sites, deleting social media accounts, and unsubscribing from mailing lists.
Conclusion
Managing your digital footprint is crucial in today’s online world, and there are several effective strategies to help you achieve this. First, it’s important to regularly search for yourself online to understand what information is publicly available about you [1]. This awareness allows you to take control of your online presence by deleting any content that does not reflect positively on you.
Another key strategy is to streamline your online accounts. Keeping only the accounts you actively use simplifies management and reduces your digital footprint. Additionally, utilizing tighter privacy settings on social media platforms can help protect your personal information, although it’s essential not to rely solely on these settings for privacy.
Setting up alerts for your name can also be beneficial, as it keeps you informed about any new mentions or content that may arise online [1]. Furthermore, being mindful of how you present yourself on social media is vital; maintaining a professional demeanor in your posts can positively influence how others perceive you.
In summary, effectively managing your digital footprint involves a combination of proactive monitoring, careful account management, and thoughtful online behavior, all aimed at presenting the best version of yourself in the digital realm.
